S2: Three Main Characters
Multiple main characters make a big difference in interactive experiences. For GTA V, it provides three wild points of view.
"Los Angeles Street exit US 101, Santa Ana Freeway" by vision63 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Grand Theft Auto V, released 2013, Developed by Rockstar Games, available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.
I pop over to the wealthy side of Los Angeles, beyond the luxury automotive dealerships, outside the boutique jewelry store, and past the tennis courts, to my backyard where I’m enjoying a private yoga lesson.
I squat, bend, and stretch as I argue with my wife. We are always arguing, whether it’s about money, infidelity, or our loser kids. I’ve had enough. I cut away and take control of my other self.
Now, I leave a local bar. I shout out parting thoughts to my friends and jump onto my motorcycle. My first self would see this as the bad part of town, but my new self sees this as home. I cruise through the neighborhood blasting west coast hip-hop from my cruiser and crank up the volume as I enter the rich neighborhood. I honk at pedestrians and see a boutique jewelry store that may be a good place to rob.
I join a local street race. After I drift across the finish line, I eject from this character and take control of my third and final self.
I am a little surprised to find myself face down on a mountain top wearing nothing but briefs. I can see the lights of single-engine airplanes out of a rural airport at the bottom of the mountain. I casually stroll up to a mountain biker, punch him, and steal his bike.
I pedal quickly down the mountain to outpace the bike’s actual owner and reach the nearest unoccupied airplane. I am, inexplicably, a pilot. I toss on the headphones to complement my briefs and take off before anyone can stop me.
The sun is rising over the mountains as I fly towards downtown to see my partners for our next heist. My partners are me, because in Grand Theft Auto V, there are Three Main Characters. I am all of them, whenever I want to be them, which is an incredible way to view this world.
I understand why most games do not feature multiple main characters. It is difficult (and expensive!) enough to create a single compelling character. But, the value of multiple main characters, especially as executed in Grand Theft Auto V, is so good that it seems like a mistake to not take a bite at the apple.
The main point I want to make is that Grand Theft Auto V is fundamentally about personas, not powers. But, before we can get to that, we need to make a quick segue to mundane character building.
Walking in their Shoes: I’ve spent my career developing simulation games, so this opinion is biased, but I think more games would benefit from the addition of limited simulated spaces. By this, I mean people who operate independently within the constraints of who they are. Relationships you can improve, or hurt, which has consequences. These emotional stakes add value to the core gameplay, even if that core is beating up bad guys.
The issue is that most games do not make room for such things. Most games skip the space marine’s morning shower and visit to the mess hall to fast forward to the next briefing. It makes sense, but also, the best part of The Avengers (movie) was the interaction between the heroes outside of the battles. This opportunity also exists for games.
Grand Theft Auto V has three main characters: Michael, the former bank robber (turned FBI informant) who lives in an upscale neighborhood in San Andreas. Franklin, the low level gang member trying to move up, and out of his less affluent neighborhood. Finally, there is Trevor, the completely unhinged drug dealer who only takes breaks from gunfights with rival country gangs to partner with Michael and Franklin on the big heists.
Each of them have a different past, a different worldview, a different motivation, a different home, a different present, and different skills. Michael has a wife and two adult children, whereas Trevor has…issues.
Social media gives us the highly curated, front-row seat to everyone in the world. Video games always prioritize the action sequence as well. The issue is that Instagram often fails to expose just how difficult it is to raise a toddler, or, as is the case with Michael in GTA V, demonstrate the circumstances that may lead him to return to a life of crime.
These men are also all criminals. By society’s most basic definitions, they are bad people. The day in the life is also pulling double duty as an empathy engine. They are just more interesting, but now these three are more relatable.
Nobody likes an exposition dump in a movie. In an interactive medium, it is narrative suicide. Instead of forcing you to read lengthy bios about these three goons, Rockstar lets you observe them in their natural state and take control of them. It shows, then gives you the option to tell your own story.
Before we move on, I want to compare Grand Theft Auto V to Ghost of Tsushima. This samurai epic features a wide cast of NPCs. Let us pretend you were able to explore Japan as Jin Sakai (the main character), Yuna (the thief), and Norio (the warrior monk).
Jin is an aristocrat steeped in privilege, tradition, and the crushing expectations of his name and history. Yuna is poor, someone who has spent her life on the opposite side of the law in order to remain fed. Norio is a charming, peaceful giant who serves Buddha as a monk.
I did not connect with the narrative of Ghost of Tsushima. But, taking control of Yuna at night after she has robbed an aristocrat might have given me more insight into her struggles. Witnessing Norio helping others and rebuilding a temple might have helped me appreciate who he is. Perhaps seeing Jin studying, or training, or connecting with the peasants whom he leads would have made him a more robust character.
In the end, Ghost of Tsushima provides a single perspective, and the only sandals it let me wear were those of a samurai on the battlefield. GTA V invites me to walk on the floor of a mobile home, a yoga mat, and the backstreets to better explain its protagonists.
Now that we have a shared view of what I mean by characters, we can dive into personas.
Personas, Not Powers: This aspect of Grand Theft Auto V is the most subtle, yet brilliant aspect of the entire three character thing.
I do not know who did it first, but in 2013, Mark Rosewater (Head of Development for Magic: The Gathering) blogged about three player personas: Timmy, Johnny, and Spike. I’ll summarize quickly:
Timmy is the “power gamer” who wants to win big.
Johnny wants to win with style and clever combinations.
Spike just wants to win and will copy the best decks off the internet to do so.
This isn’t woo woo nonsense. If you understand your players, what motivates them, and how they like to play, it can focus and enhance your design.
Grand Theft Auto absolutely has personas. They have people who want to complete the story. They have people who never play a single mission, but spend hours aggravating the cops and causing chaos. They have people who steal airplanes and try to pull off incredible stunts. They have players who simply own and manage businesses.
Michael, Franklin, and Trevor all represent different personas. If I had to guess, they represent the Heists (story), getting rich (side content) and chaos, respectively. Without three characters, you can still do all of these things. But with the three characters, you’re given permission, indeed a mandate to fully embody them.
I said Personas, not Powers, and I think it is critical for this argument. Countless games give you different powers. Roleplaying games have been giving us the Archer vs. Warrior vs. Priest decision for decades, for example. But I argue that, very often, differences based on powers are just a matter of different tools to accomplish the same task. They are about alternative methods, not alternative motivations.
Two methods to reach the same destination is variety. Two methods multiplied by motivation and alternative destinations is a far superior amount of variety.
I recently played Prey: Mooncrash, which brilliantly splits the core game’s expansive skill tree into five discrete characters. They effectively give you the core five archetypes of the game. As each character, you explore the same space and while fun, it really drives my point home.
Here is a phantom that I will kill with a [Shotgun] [Turret] [Alien Power] - pick one based on who I’m playing.
This is a room I need to enter by [Repairing the Door] [Hacking the Security] [Reaching the Vent] - pick one based on who I’m playing.
The game is admittedly too narrow to support personas, but what if it wasn’t?
Grand Theft Auto V isn’t often portrayed as a roleplaying game, because you aren’t really building stats, nor are you doing so with a class. Those are trappings of the modern video game interpretation of roleplaying. But, if you consider it through the lens of portraying a different character who has different motivations? It’s incredibly rich. In many ways, GTA V’s emphasis on personas harkens back to the strength of tabletop roleplaying, which is about embodying the characters, telling stories, and not always making victory the focus of play.
I think that’s the most important reason to add more main characters to your game.
The One Cool Thing
Grand Theft Auto V gives you the entire city of Los Angeles San Andreas and three completely different, fully realized characters in which to experience it. You play them in their mundane, boring lives, so that you can witness them when nobody is looking. You are given permission to behave recklessly, or with style and civility, as the situation dictates. But also, instead of playing a single perspective in a complex scheme, you do everything.
Three Main Characters is a brilliant idea, because it enriches the narrative, it enriches the scripted sequences, and it literally changes how you experience the sandbox.
Grand Theft Auto III introduced a true sandbox in which you could sow chaos, explore a city, and do what you wanted, when you wanted. In the ensuing years, this idea has shifted from a sandbox to the open-world, where the location acts less as a playground and more like a shelf for repetitive optional content.
Grand Theft Auto V returns us to the sandbox that doesn’t just ask “what do you want to do?” but also “who do you want to be?” It is no wonder this is the best selling game of all time.
Preview for Next Time
What am I writing about next time? What am I writing about next time? Whoops, sorry, didn’t mean to repeat myself. Except, that is the entire premise of Deathloop.
Deathloop from Arkane Studios pushed my desire to obtain a PlayStation 5 into overdrive. The game is now available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X, including Game Pass.
Deathloop takes many of the elements of the Dishonored series - nuanced levels, traversal powers, stealth, simulated behavior - and places them in a weird setting. I enjoyed it immensely and will be writing about it next time.
My September Playlist
I spent September dabbling in a variety of games. I’m restricting myself to a single sentence for each. Start the timer…
Ori and the Blind Forest: Gorgeous Metroidvania with flawed gatekeeping and frustrating difficulty spikes that makes me curious, but hesitant about its sequel.
Note: This summer I played Hollow Knight, Ender Lilies, Blue Fire, and Ori and the Blind Forest as a part of a broad Metroidvania investigation. I still intend to play Metroid Dread and the sequel to Ori, but will be writing about Hollow Knight in Season 3.
Dying Light: The open-world parkour is a delight that deserves to be inserted into a more focused experience with a great narrative.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: Compelling outdoor, open-world stealth and an amusing system of capturing enemy soldiers does not compensate for an incomprehensible narrative and repetitive gameplay.
Prey: Mooncrash: Five character archetypes, a small, but dynamic level, and deep permanent progression make this the best way to experience Prey and an enticing rogue-like to boot.
Helldivers: This top-down twin stick cooperative shooter executes the absurdist Starship Troopers satire perfectly with incredibly compelling loadouts and meta-progression.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Multiplayer Beta: Infinity Ward makes my favorite competitive multiplayer experiences at this point because their weapons, level design, and controls all feel correct.
Olli Olli World: Stylish, tight, simple yet challenging skateboarding with literally the best vibes and charm I’ve seen in a game in a long time.
Note: I will likely write about this game for Season 3.
Gone Home: One of, if not the first, “walking simulators,” that provides a short story in a compelling interactive format.
Note: You can clearly draw a direct line between Gone Home and What Remains of Edith Finch, which will be a post in Season 3.
Assassin’s Creed: Origins: My first Assassin’s Creed since Ezio, I’m enjoying the RPG mechanisms, the stunning visuals, and the richness of the full ancient Mediterranean brought to life with Egypt, Greek, and Roman society all represented.
I need to finish Origins before God of War: Ragnorok comes out in November.
Recommendation
There are so many novel, well-executed experiences coming out of the indie space and Neon White is one that deserves your attention. This is a game about speedrunning, or completing levels that are approximately 30-90 seconds in length as quickly as possible. You will jump, use special powers to dart, and you will shoot demons, all to shave seconds off your time to earn that next tier.
There is a great ramp of challenge. Plus, I always want to recognize the craftsmanship present in a game where players have no issue repeating the same content for optimization. It is the purest sign of a killer hook.
I am playing on the Switch, but the developers did not put much effort into the console controls (auto-aim in particular). I recommend you play on PC for mouse and keyboard. The Switch isn’t bad, but it needs more attention.
Edited by Joshua Buergel. Special thanks to Matt Yang for our discussion on personas, which helped me write this piece.